Belt conveyer.



L. ANDERSON. BELT GONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED MABHZI 1911. 1,000,974.

.Patented Aug. 22, 191i.

lllnl coummu PLANOG LOUIS ANDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BELT coNvEYEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au". 22, 1911.

Application filed March 27, 1911. Serial No. 617,302.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LOUIS ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt Conveyers, of whichthe following is a specification, and which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to belt conveyers, and more particularly to thoseused upon harvesting machines for conveying the freshly cut grain to thebundle forming mechanism. Such conveyers commonly comprise a continuousweb of considerable width and the web is usually made of cotton fabric.This fabric is stretched by continued use and soon becomes permanentlyelongated.

The object of the invention is to provide improved take-up mechanism forbelt conveyers of the kind described, and the invention contemplates theuse of an adjustable bearing for the end roll of a belt conveyer at eachside of the belt, and means for simultaneously adjusting both of saidbearings from one side of the belt, including a removable shaft whichnormally extends be tween the two turns or lengths of the belt.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a belt conveyerembodying the features of improvement provided by the invention, some ofthe parts being broken away; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on thelines 22 of Figs. 1 and 4; Fig. 3 is a section view taken on the line3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a detail side ele vation.

A pair of parallel rigid frame members are shown in the drawings at 10and 11. Each of these frame members extends along one side of the beltconveyer for its entire length, and the two members will ordinarily beparts of a unitary rigid frame, such, for example, as the frame of thereaping platform or deck of a harvesting machine. continuous conveyerbelt or web is represented at 12. This belt is preferably of sufiicientwidth to extend substantially the entire distance between the framemembers 10 and 11, and it is supported in extended position byend rolls13 and 14 which extend between the frame members.

One of the end rolls, as 13, will be mounted in any ordinary way as bygudgeons 15,16, provided at the opposite ends of the roll and turning,respectively, in bearing blocks 17 18, fixedin position on the framemembers 10 and 11. A. sprocket wheel 19, applied to the end of one ofthe gudgeons, as 16, serves for receiving power to turn the roll 13 anddrive the conveyer.

The roll 14 has gudgeons 20, 21, at its opposite ends, and thesegudgeons are re-' movably engaged, respectively, with sliding bearingblocks 22 and 23, most clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Each of thebearing blocks, 22, 23, is notched adjacent its outer end, as indicatedat 24, for rotatably receiving the corresponding gudgeon 20, 21, and itis slidingly mounted between longitudinal ways 25, 26, provided on theframe member as 10, 11. A. cap plate 27 detachably secured to the Ways25, 26, over the bearing block as 22, 23 by screw bolts 28 preventsdisplacement of the bearing block. A gear rack 29 extends longitudinallyupon one side of each of the bearing blocks 22, 23, and pinions 30 and31, engage the gear racks 29 of the bearing blocks 22, 23, respectively,for longitudinally shifting the bearing blocks to take up slack in theweb 12. The pinions 30 and 31 are transversely journaled in the framemembers 10, and 11 respectively, and they are preferably mounted inapertures, as 32 formed in the frame members below the slide ways 25,26.

Provision is made for simultaneously rotating the pinions 30 and 31 fromone side of the conveyer, whereby the two ends of the roll 14 aresimultaneously adjusted. As shown, the pinions 30 and 31 are mounted inaxial alinement and the shaft of each projects inwardly from the framemember 10, 11, as indicated at 33, 34. The projecting end, as 33, of theshaft of one ofthe pinions, as 30, is jointed, as indicated at 35, andthe shaft is provided with an outwardly facing shouldered abutment 36located beyond the joint, and removable means are provided for rotatablyconnecting the projecting ends 33, 34, of the shafts of the two pinions30 and 31. As shown, a tube 37, having its opposite ends socketed, asindicated at 38, 39, to telescopically engage the ends 33, 34, of thepinion shafts, is employed. To fit the tubular member 37, in place oneof its ends, as 38 is applied to the end as 33 of the shaft when thejoint 35 is flexed, and the tubular member is then telescopically movedupon the end of the shaft to permit the other end, as 39, of the tubularmember to clear the end 34 of the other pinion shaft when the joint 35is straightened out. When the end 39 of the member 37 has been broughtinto alinement with the end of the shaft 34, the member 37 is moved tothe right, as viewed in Fig. 2 of the drawings, to cause its socketedend 39 to receive the end 34 of the pinion shaft. Preferably a spring40, coiled about the shaft end 33, in front of the shoulder 35, servesfor preventing accidental longitudinal displacement of the member 37 andin order that rotation imparted to one of the shafts, as 34, may becommunicated to the tubular member 37 and thence to the shaft 33, thesockets 38 and 39 upon the ends of the member 37 are designed fornon-rotative engagement with corresponding shaft end 33 or 34. As shownthe side walls of the sockets 38, 39, are longitudinally slotted, asindicated at 41, 42, and laterally projecting studs or pins 43, 44, areprovided on the shaft ends 33 and for entering the slots 41 and. 42respectively. The stud 43 provided upon the shaft 33 adjacent its endprovides a stop for preventing the removal of the spring when the member37 has been removed.

Any convenient means may be employed for rotating the gear pinions 30and 31 from one side of the conveyer. As shown, a crank arm 45 ismounted upon the shaft of the pinion 31 beyond the frame member 11,coo'perating ratchet and pawl members 46, 47, mounted, respectively, onthe shaft of the pinion 31, and upon the adjacent part of the framemember 11 normally prevent counter rotation of the pinions 30 and 31,whenthese have been rotated by the crank 45 to elongate the conveyer web12. I

The conveyer web may be readilyremoved when the tension upon it has beenslackened by releasing the pawl 46 from the ratchet 47 and reverselyturning the pinions 30and 31.

'viewed in Fig. 2, against the efiort of the spring 40, and after it hasbeen thus disengaged from the inner end of the shaft of the pinion 31 itmay be readily withdrawn from the shaft end 33 if the joint 35 beflexed.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination, a roller, a continuous webturning over the roller, a gear pinion journaled in a fixed support ateach side of the web, the two pinions being in alinement, a rack barengaging each of the pinions, a bearing for the roller carried by eachof the rack bars, a crank for turning one of the pinions and a removablejointed shaft rotatably connecting the pinions.

2. In combination with a continuous conveyer web and an end roll forsupporting the web in extended position, a pair of bearings for the rollslidably mounted upon opposite sides of the web, a rotatable member foradjustably sliding each of the bearings, and a removable jointed shaftextending between the lengths of the conveyer web and operativelyconnecting the two rotatable members.

3. In combination a pair of separated spindles rotatably mounted inalinement, one of the said spindles being ointed, and a connectingmember having socketed ends adapted for non-rotative telescopicengagement' with the adjacent ends of the spindles, the said connectingmember being of greater length than the distance between the spindles.

LOUIS ANDERSON. Witnesses M.. C. ALLEN, CHARLES. B. GILLsON.

=O opies-of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

1W ashington, D. C.

